Annual ‘apartheid’ flap cannot overshadow the tolerance and acceptance of gay and lesbian rights in Israel.

As the Canada Day weekend approaches, Toronto gets ready to celebrate one of its now seminal summer events — the Pride Parade.

And naturally along with the parade comes controversy. Some of it silly, like those who continue protest the fact that gays and lesbians have not got the right to celebrate their sexuality, and some of it political, like Mayor Rob Ford’s apparent continual refusal to attend this highly beloved and anticipated event.

Then we have the usual struggle between the oddly named “Queers Against Israeli Apartheid (QuAIA)” and many others, Jews and non-Jews alike, who rail at the idea of this group trying to hijack what has become a yearly expression of fun and celebration. QuAIA inserts into the parade an onerous dose of provocative and questionable political philosophy that some believe borders on hate. Appropriating the Pride Parade and injecting a questionable political message that has nothing to do with the celebration at hand create tension, anger and confusion, the antithesis of what the Pride Parade should be all about.

Truth be told, at one time when I worked on behalf of the Jewish community I, too, got involved in trying to place obstacles in front of this group in an effort to prevent it from espousing what I believed to be obscene comparatives between the concept of racist apartheid and the State of Israel.

However, over the last few years, I have come to an entirely different approach.

Who cares what QuAIA believes?

Surely the delicate balance of free speech vs. hate speech is something both extremes of the spectrum must agree are worth embracing. From municipal pronouncements to human rights experts, many have opined on QuAIA’s use of the term “apartheid.” The conclusion reached is that it may be offensive, even obscene and hateful, but it simply does not meet the legal test of hate promotion.

Never being one to uselessly bang my head against a brick wall, I sought a different track; indeed, what I believe came to be a more positive track. There can be little doubt that in all of the Middle East only the State of Israel demonstrates a similar tolerance and acceptance of gay and lesbian rights as do we in Canada. We know that to be gay in places like Syria, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Iran and the Palestinian Territories risks bullying, physical attacks and even death.

In Israel, Pride parades in Tel Aviv and even the holy city of Jerusalem are becoming as commonplace as in other large democratic countries worldwide. Surely this is what should be celebrated.

To the credit of the Jewish gay and lesbian organization “Kulanu,” they get it. For the last few Pride Parades, Jews — both gay and straight — from across Toronto have joined with Kulanu in celebrating Israel’s commitment to gay rights and supporting the work of Israeli gay activists in trying to help their brothers and sisters in other Middle Eastern countries where the cup of tolerance is not so full.

To be sure, Israel still has much work to do on many areas of racism, gender equality, and, yes, work continues for the gay community in Israel as well. Only a few years ago, in an apparent targeted attack on a gay and lesbian centre in Tel Aviv, two people were murdered and 15 others injured. Only last week, Tel Aviv police, who never gave up the investigation, announced that an indictment has been laid in the case.

Yes, for those who support gay rights in Israel there is much to celebrate. Let QuAIA march with their dour masks of contempt. They make few friends with such an approach. Let us walk proudly as Jews and supporters of a state that works on treating gays and lesbians with respect deserving of all people. Now that’s a message worthy of the Toronto Pride Parade.

Bernie M. Farber, former CEO of the Canadian Jewish Congress, is a human-rights advocate who has written and lectured widely on anti-Semitism and the Holocaust. He is senior vice-president of Gemini Power Corporation, where he works with First Nations to help build sustainable industry.

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